Alaibe condemns murder of Soboma George

By Emma Ujah & John Ighodaro

PORT HARCOURT—SPECIAL Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and the Chief Executive Officer of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Mr. Timi Alaibe, Thursday, condemned the gruesome murder of Mr. Soboma George, ex-commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, in Port Harcourt on Tuesday night.

Alaibe said in a statement issued by his aide, Mr. Henry Ugbolue, in Abuja: “Soboma George was one of the first ex-militia leaders to embrace the Presidential Amnesty Programme and his surrender of a huge cache of arms and ammunition to the nation’s security agencies on Thursday,  August 13, 2009 was a huge boost to efforts of the Federal Government to end militancy in the Niger Delta using the instrumentalities of the Amnesty Programme.”

Transformational training

The statement added: “The Special Adviser wishes to further clarify that to the best of his knowledge, Mr. Soboma George, until his death, continued to cooperate with the Presidential Amnesty Office. Indeed, just four days ago, Soboma George actively collaborated with the Amnesty Office to draw up a list of 1,000 ex-militants from Rivers State, who will this weekend,  proceed to the Rehabilitation Camp in Obubra, Cross River State, to commence non-violence transformational training.”

Alaibe urged security agencies in Rivers State to investigate the circumstances that led to the murder of Soboma George and speedily bring the culprits to book, stressing that the Federal Government was committed to the pursuit of all legitimate means to instill lasting peace and security as well as sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

Meanwhile an ex-militant who graduated from the reorientation and rehabilitation course for ex-militants in Obubra, Cross River State, Mr. Ibi Seaboy, has called on the Federal Government to fish out the killers of late Soboma George.

Speaking at the camp yesterday, Seaboy said: “They said we should drop our guns, we did and some other people went to Port Harcourt to kill our master, Soboma George. We understand that it is a cult group that killed him. Government should fish out those responsible for that killing. They must be brought to book. In camp over here some body called us and told us what happened to Soboma George.

“Now we cannot revenge because we have renounced violence and we have been learning in camp the benefits of non_violence, so we cannot revenge. I, therefore, wish to appeal to the Federal Government to fish out the killers of Soboma George. I know that he is already dead, but it will be a welcome development if his killers are apprehended, because if they are not fished out our boys won’t be happy, we will be angry because we cannot revenge now as we have been transformed.”

Late Soboma George, ex-commander of MEND was killed in Port Harcourt while allegedly buying groundnuts on a street in the city. He was said to be in the company of an unidentified female companion who was also shot dead when unidentified gun men in a vehicle pumped bullets into them as the vehicle sped past. The only survivor was the groundnut seller, who, however, sustained bullet wounds.